The Awesome Tales of Mapleland
by Mlle-Maple
Summary: The Princess of Mapleland was kidnapped long ago and the hero designed to save her happen to be Matthew. On his journey, he'll be joined by a miniature guardian angel, a fail wizzard, and a fairy who prefers to believe in Aliens...
1. Egg

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Note: It's been a pretty long time I wrote a multi chaptered fanfiction... And it's actually the first time I try to do so in English. I would love to update regularly, However I know University will take a lot of my time in october, which is why I can't promise it. I also would like to thank my beta, since well, if your eyes don't bleed, it's partly thanks to her.

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It had been a lovely night. The dark blue sky filled with bright little specks , wasn't covered in many clouds, though some were lazily floating around. The bright moon's light was sufficient to let people see the lonely house, lost between a dark wood and some wheat fields. During the day you could see the bright golden colors of said fields and the wood, which currently looked menacing, would become a simple relaxing place for those who seeked calm. Soon the birds hidden in the deep, intense green of the leaves would start chirping, and the sun would give the world it's colors. However, before the sun could rise and fulfill it's functions, someone in the house stirred, sat up, and went to light a lamp.

The man who lived here had a schedule. At any time of the year, he would wake up at five in the morning. Then, he would make sure his bed's white sheets were perfectly straightened on said bed, go outside, walk toward a little well behind his house, fill a jug he took with him and come back, using the water to dutifully wash his face and hands.

Once he was sure at least those parts of his anatomy were clean he would go in the Kitchen and, depending on the day, make different breakfasts. Today was Sunday which meant he would allow himself a little treat and make some wurst. Once he was done cooking and eating, he would wash his table carefully, go back to the well to get some water again, and do the dishes in the little sink he had in there. When he was sure everything was clean it was usually dawn. It was when he would put on his working outfit and go outside.

He would start jogging along the little dirt track all the way to the closest village that was five kilometers away. Once there, he'd take a little break at the inn. The villagers knew his schedule and they usually asked the bartender to note down their request. Ludwig would look at them, memorize it, and drink a beer. Then he would jog back home take his axe, and go in the forest. He would look around, choose an healthy tree (that he made sure no birds were left in) and cut it down.

However, that day, the tree he cut down had a single egg in it. It was hidden in some leaves and he was feeling rather guilty since the birds wouldn't come back to it. He couldn't throw it away either. And eating it was out of questions. So he put it in his shirt's front pocket, got all the logs he needed, and went back inside. He would usually get to work immediately, but this time... Well, he knew that egg was more likely in need of constant heat. So he put the egg in a little cotton filled box near his chimney where the embers from yesterday were still somehow warming the house. He stared at the little egg a while, before going to get his little donkey and load him with the freshly cut logs.

Once he was done with his delivery he usually spent his time reading or exercising.

This time, he took the egg with him. He took one of his books on wildlife,explaining how to deal with most animals, and read all about bird's , nothing looked like the one he had here. He shrugged it off and stared at the egg some more.

His new routine, including the egg, went on for a week, two days, seventeen hours and fourty six minutes. He counted, liking to be precise, referring to the little cuckoo clock he made himself some time ago. At that precise time, he stopped all activities. His egg was moving. And it had a og crack running along it. Was it hatching? Ludwig never really was excited. However, he felt his heart pounding a bit louder at the sight. From what he could see so far, his bird would have a really nice silver fluff. A tiny smile appeared on the German's face, when suddenly he froze. It wasn't a bird.

A tiny hand emerged from the egg, followed by a head. Then, in the remaining half of the eggshell, he could see a tiny, naked human sitting, staring at him with big ruby eyes.

« ... Yo, what's up? Nice house, by the way. You did the good choice by picking up the awesome me. »

Ludwig was simply speechless at that.

What he didn't knew at the moment was the fact that, the tiny little thing, which would later on be called Gilbert, would change his life. Mostly by making his schedule go wrong whenever he could. And, even if he would never admit it to him, a whole lot more awesome.

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If there's anything you think will help me get better, don't hesitate to say it.


	2. Everyday life with a lilliputian

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Note: So I thought updating once a week was reasonable, since it wouldn't make you wait for too long and would leave me some free time too. I have to admit I wasn't expecting this to be that popular, what with the favs, alerts and reviews... So as a thanks, I drew this little "fanart": .us /img443 /8973 /atm1thanks .jpg (I suppose you know how to remove the spaces. if it doesn't work... I'm going to link it on my profile too.)

Thanks to my beta who did an awesome job again~

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The Kitchen was, for a lack of better word, a mess. Actually, if Ludwig had the time to think about it he would compare it to a village after vikings came. Or he could explain it by a strong storm passing through his beloved Kitchen. Which was close to the truth.

The little counter where he usually prepared his food was covered in a thin white layer of flour. In the sink, there was some unknown substance(more likely flour again), mixed with water and... something. Cinnamon...? Maybe. Something alike. The cupboard door was hanging, ready to fall any time. Inside there was a smashed bowl and his usually impeccably clean and organized container were in a chaotic state of disarray. He spotted some shards that had come from the bowl and decided to carefully take them to throw them away before anyone could get hurt.

As he sighed heavily, taking a damp cloth to wipe the flour away, a little white form snuck away. Ludwig instantly reacted by lifting his... He couldn't call him a pet, since it was human shaped. And not really a son since... even if he raised him, he refused to think of himself as a father so early. Which was why he usually referred to it as « bruder ».

He lifted said bruder who squirmed, yelling:

« West! Put me down now! Bad kid! Listen to big bro! »

Ludwig sighed again. So many things were wrong in what he just said. First, he wasn't West. He never understood why he was called that, and Gilbert never really took the time to explain, too busy being selfish. Second thing was, Ludwig wasn't a kid, unlike Gilbert. And as the second thing explained, the third thing... He wasn't the little brother. But that wasn't the important point for now.

« Gilbert. What happened in that Kitchen? »

The little creature stiffened, looking to the side, a little pout appearing.

« I don't know, the awesome me wasn't in there. »

Which was obviously a lie. He was covered in flour just like the add to his credibility he sneezed, creating a puffy little flour cloud around him.

Ludwig kept on holding the lilliputian albino by his shirt's collar and lifting him so they were at the same eye level, furious red one glaring in calm blue one. He used a finger to rub the little face clean, earning some more protest, before talking again.

« Now tell the truth. What were you intending to do with that flour? »

« Nothing. Let go... »

He let him struggle a bit more; he knew he would eventually tell him when he understood Ludwig wouldn't let him go. He knew using someones weak points wasn't a nice thing. However, this was a special case and using the fact that Gilbert wasn't patient was legitimate.

« Fine! I wanted to cook something. »

« what did you want to cook and why? »

With that a little blush appeared on the other's face, and he stayed silent a little while before he finally blurted out:

« ... a cake for your birthday. »

Ludwig couldn't help but smile, shutting out the rant about how awesome people had to think of less awesome but still awesome enough people's birthday.

« Thanks, bruder. »

At that, the cupboard door fell making an awful ruckus and making most of the flour fly, ending up on both of them. For the umpteenth time that day, Ludwig sighed. Days were never really boring with his new brother, but it was a hassle to wash everything. Said brother grinned sheepishly at him.

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« ... Happy birthday? »

That was ten years ago. Ludwig had plenty of time to think and remember now. He was on his donkey, who actually was the son of the one he had when he found Gilbert, on his way to the capital. His brother was sleeping in his little travel bag. Ludwig had designed it. It was a simple linen bag in which he had added a thin board making the bottom of said bag flat. In that bag was a miniature bed, made out of an old washed wool sock stuffed with little piece of fabric, feathers from when he had to pluck a hen for dinner and a bit of cotton he found, making it a rather comfortable mattress. The bed-base was then made just like a normal one (just smaller).

He remembered how he once got into an argument with him about that bed. It was too « boring » so Gilbert wanted him to carve something in the bed frame, just over where he usually put his head. Ludwig had refused, feeling a bit upset his hard work was boring even if he wouldn't say it out loud and was busy. That day, he had been asked to cut down three trees at least, and he preferred to get to work early instead. At the end of the day the unusually silent Gilbert got the better out of him and managed to get him to work on his bed. Pouting and silent treatment had worked. After a bit of arguing about what Gilbert wanted and some aborted projects-including the « AWESOMENESS SLEEPS HERE » and the « the bed you'd like to be invited into bitch » projects- Ludwig finally ended up making some eagle which satisfied both parties.

Ludwig smiled a little at the memory, letting his brother sleep.

He never grew up much. When he got him he was five centimeters tall and now was about fifteen cm. He couldn't really explain it. But then again Mapleland was known for it's strange occurrences. And finding a lilliputian albino in an egg was, to say the least, a strange occurrence.

The reason why he was heading for Mapleland's capital was a promise he had made to said lilliputian. For his 20th birthday he would take him to the big chivalry tournament taking place here so he could see the glorious knights fight for the princess' hand.

Their only problem was the fact the princess was missing. Ten years ago when the princess was fifteen someone managed to Kidnap her. Every years ever since many knights had fought for the chance to go and save her but none of them returned. It was said that the one who could take the holy Hockey Stick would be able to defeat the strongest enemy and find the princess. The myth became a legend known throughout the kingdom, and while some young men fought bravely to go find the princess who was said to be the most beautiful being in the world, some of them just fought for glory and the wonderful strength that came with the Hockey Stick.

Ludwig happened to go there to sell some of his cuckoo clocks; making them was one of his hobbies, and they were quite liked. The capital, which was usually lively, was always crowded during times like these.

People believed that since it was the tenth time the tournament would take place, something was bound to happen. Ludwig ignored it to simply enjoy the prospect of selling more of his clocks, planning to use the money to pay himself a good meal in some inn involving beer, wurst, and some of the really good Brotknoedel they made here. He couldn't possibly know that the rumors were true, and something would happen. Something that he would end up being involved in.

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter as much as you enjoyed the first... And thanks for the support.


	3. Of Teaset and Unicorn

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Thanks to Jacquelyn who translated my sentence to Scottish~

Note: ... I know I said I would post every weeks... I got a bit busy ^^" Sorry. I also know that so far what most of you liked was Gilbert. This one chapter isn't about Gilbert. In fact, Gilbert won't appear again before a while~ Blame my plot |D

Anyway, Thanks again for all the feedbacks~

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The candle's faint flame wavered making the dark room look slightly more scary than it already was and revealing a thin figure draped in a heavy greenish black cloak, reaching for a big book. It walked to get in the center of the circle of candles, lifting an arm to reveal a pale hand with long fingers and started muttering in a mysterious language, a slight grin appearing on the man's half hidden face. As some kind of energy started to pulse through his veins, causing some warm wind to stroll around the room, making the various glass container quiver. His grin became more wicked as said wind got stronger, his voice firmer and lower, when suddenly light invaded the room.

« Arthur! Get your arse over here! »

The door closed with a loud noise giving him back to the darkness. Said Arthur let out a frustrated sigh, taking the cloak off and putting the book back on it's shelf before climbing the stairs. Once there, he opened the door, putting his arm in front of his eyes to shield from the sudden change of light, bright light streaming into the dark basement. He grumbled a little before stepping out and going to his brother, who slapped him in the head.

"Oi Y'daft boy, you'll go and wash they dishes, instead o'wanking about in that cave of yours"

Arthur, who was used to his older brother's bossiness and wasn't in a mood to fight for once, just quietly went to do it. He secretly enjoyed this one task, since he had an odd passion for everything related to tea, especially fine tea set like this one. He ran his hand lovingly on the soft, white vitreous china, his thumb trailing slowly over a pink flower detailing every petals of it. A rare soft smile appeared on his usually frowning face as he took a damp cloth,rolled around his fingers he slipped inside the cup carefully running it around making sure he would rub all the spots inside. Once he was done, he started drying the hot wetness off with a smooth towel, thrusting it in the handle softly, before lying it cautiously in the cupboard it belonged to. Satisfied, he would go back to the sink and keep on his ritual until all the tea set was done. As he put down the last saucer, he let out a sigh, and went back to his previous task.

Once he was back in his room-that actually was the house's cellar-he sat down at his little desk, crossing his legs as he checked in his notebook what ingredients he had. He sighed as he noticed he threw away a lot of them when he was interrupted making his potion earlier. Standing up putting on his cloak again, the hood down this time. He managed to slip out of the house without his evil big brother noticing and walked quickly along the little street his house was situated in, his steps ringing out lightly on the greyish ornamental tilling. He stopped when he reached the crossroad to let a carriage pass before hurrying toward another street leading to some fields. His town wasn't that big and some street just lead out to country. He loved the contrast; the pavement would suddenly turn in trodden earth, and suddenly the feeling of being trapped in between the imposing buildings would disappear for a freedom one as the only sight in front of him would become an endless sky and golden fields. Slowly, as he would get farther from the town, the constant noise would fade to a comfortable silence, only troubled by birds chirping or the occasional calls from the farmers harvesting the wheat with long and precise stroke of their scythe.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of freshly cut grass and wet earth, the result of the light rain that fell on this part of the country last night. After an half an hour walk, he got on top of a hill surveying a dark forest. Most people didn't dare to come here, it was rumoured some ogre lived here, but he didn't care. He knew. After a quick glance around to make sure nobody saw him, he scurried down said hill and entered the feared wood, a small smile gracing his face.

Once he got further in, surrounded by the wood's magical scent and atmosphere he crouched down, using his billhook to cut a little flower, putting it in a pocket inside his cloak carefully. He kept his little routine for a good 45 minutes before a light sound was heard.

His head shot up, suspicious eyes scanning the woods around to discover the origin of the noise, before the small smile from earlier came back to soften his features as he stood up. He patted the animal as a greeting before scratching it's stubble. As the unicorn nuzzled in his shoulder, Arthur sighed. He had to tell his best friend it was the last time he would come for two months. It was always a difficult task, the disappointed look in the usually loving eyes was heart breaking. He let go of her reluctantly-since when was he hugging the unicorn?- and looked at the bent down grass he just stepped on.

"Uni... I have to tell you something..."

The animal snorted, wondering what was wrong with him, worrying a little for his human friend. He was, after all, the only human she allowed near her, which meant he was really special to her...

"I'm going to the capital for a while. You know, that big tournament... Well I thought I could start making a living out of my skills. So starting by selling some of my stuffs here, when it's busy, would hopefully give me some good starting money to have my own place here and get a flourishing business."

His eyes glinted a bit, he was obviously proud of his plan and ready to go realise that simple seeming yet complicated dream. The unicorn would have smiled if only it was possible, and settled for nuzzling in his neck as an encouragement. She didn't like it when he left, but it was bound to happen, human couldn't possibly live in a forest, even someone as sweet as her Arthur.

After a bit more snuggling and plant harvesting, Arthur left again, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. He would miss his friend. On the way back, he had a nice chat with a leprechaun about piracy and reached the top of the hill with a big smile on his face. He took a few minutes to compose himself before going back to his place.

He had some work to do; if he wanted to sell various potions and other magic in a bottle, he would have to spend some time on it. But he didn't mind; after all, it was an excellent opportunity to see the world a bit and the capital was where the holy hockey stick was. That mythical item was something he had studied a lot and he ached to see it with his own eyes. He frowned when he noticed he was getting distracted, and went back to working on that spell.

Two days later, He was walking along the same country road he took to go to the forest, passing the hill. As he went along the woods, he swore he could have seen some eyes shine in the shade of the trees, and gave a slight wave toward where he saw them.

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... I hope the ArthurxTeaset scene made up for the lack of Gilbert and you enjoyed reading~


	4. Fairy tales

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Thanks to Jacquelyn who beta'd this chapter~

Note: ... I'm alive \o/ Sorry for the long wait. I started going to University and it was time consuming -but it should get better now- and scary. I also was busy rping... And creating a rp forum based on Mapleland. If you're interested feel free to check it out~

it's here:mapleland(dot)omgforum(dot)net(slash)forum(dot)htm

Anyway I think I can make Gilbert come back in the next chapter, and making said next chapter longer than usually.

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That clearing was a really peaceful place, almost heavenly. The grass was a nice shade of green, dense, smooth and would tickle the feet who dared to venture on it. The wind blowing through it made it wave lazily freeing a light refreshing and relaxing scent. A little stream trickled down the old ochre natural stone wall that circled part of the clearing, which was actually the result of a rockslide happening some long years ago, its only reminder being the odd shape the grass took at the bottom of the sharp irregular wall.

Eventually, the water formed a little pool when it reached the ground, slowly transforming the area in a tiny lake before the flow flooded and ran along the clearing, disappearing between the thick line formed by majestic trees.

That little piece of heaven, secluded from the outer world, was the perfect place for them to live. Nobody here would step on them, try to sell them illegally -fairy sales were forbidden after a long fight, including arguments like "human slavery isn't allowed, why should it be for fairies?" and some threats, they knew magic after all, they weren't to be taken lightly- And they could lead a happy fairy life without having much problems with human.

Or at least that was how things were before one of them decided to be different. Oh, he didn't do it on purpose, he was just extremely annoying. First of all, Alfred F. Jones refused to use magic. That wasn't that weird though; some fairies just preferred not to use it, it wasn't unusual to see some simply being extremely good artists or craft makers. Alfred was from the second category, it seemed.

The second problem with him was, he refused to fly. That was unusual. Usually, fairies who couldn't fly had an accident, usually involving a frog or a burn. But Alfred was healthy. He had gorgeous butterfly like wings, with a pattern reminding slightly of a white star on a deep blue background, white and red stripes running from his back to the extremity of his wings. They were truly beautiful, and many other boys would have been jealous since wings played a great role in physical appearance. But Alfred, weird as it was, usually had them folded under some... weird jacket. He claimed it was leather. He made it himself it seemed, and he liked to tell the few fairies who paid him attention how he heroically fought a rat to get the fur and make said leather. He had found how to do it from his father, who had dealt with humans a long time during his life before moving to the village.

Nobody could deny he fought said rat, for most people got a bit of his meat or fur for further use. It was one of the few times Alfred had been recognized as a good fairy.

Eventually, time passed by and despite being a good fairy, Alfred had lost in popularity due to his weirdness.

The worst in him was the fact he refused to believe in fairies. No, Alfred decided they were _aliens._

Which was not only offensive, but entirely stupid. He had a proof fairy existed, he was one himself. And yet he made fun of anyone talking about fairies. He had wings, but they were "deformation coming from his landing on this planet". He also explained the star shape on his wings was a proof he came from space, and it was a reminder from home. Most fairies tried to make him come to his senses but they had given up after a while. Alfred was a lost cause now.

It wasn't that bad though. He wasn't dangerous. Sure, he wasn't like them, but he never harmed anyone, and was always ready to help. For some reasons he was really strong as a fairy (once again, he explained it by being an alien. His theory was there was something on his original planet named Kryptonic, and that was what gave him strength. The other fairy's theory was he trained a lot secretly and was simply stronger naturally to compensate his lack of magical abilities. But he usually pouted when they said it. So they stopped, after all if he was happier like that...)

One of his habits was to watch the stars. Most fairies liked it, except that he put it to a brand new level by using some weird instrument, something like glasses on a tube... They didn't really get what that "telescope" was but it wasn't dangerous so they let him do.

There were a few people who were for kicking him out of the village though; those were waiting for him to do something, anything that could give them the right to do so. They believed his new ideas were dangerous for the younger generation, calling him a threat to fairy traditions. They soon got what they wanted.

Alfred had taken an interest into flying lately. The first thought everyone had when they heard that was "oh, finally, he's acting like one of us." What came after crushed that hope though. Alfred showed them plans of what he called a plane. So basically, instead of using his own abilities to fly, he preferred to make some weird and complicated machine to achieve that goal. He explained to them that, once he made it fly, he would work on making a bigger one to go back to his planet, and he would call that one "rocket" because it was an awesome name. He was pretty excited about it. His opponent saw an opportunity in this plan, and they were right.

After a few month during which everything went smoothly, Alfred also managing to make his thing fly -surprising most fairies who believed he would never make it-, he made said rocket. That was when everything went wrong.

Proud of his success with his plane that was now able to fly long distances -he once managed to fly over 3 km without having to refill it- Alfred was sure he would be as successful with his rocket.

He managed to make one that looked exactly like he wanted it. However, he miscalculated one thing, and it ended up starting a fire when the rocket started to leave. Alfred made that one as a test, so thankfully nobody was inside. Sadly it crashed on a fairy's house, and crushed part of it. Nobody was inside but the damage was substantial. They managed to keep the fire away from the village but it still burned a part of the clearing.

Alfred apologized, feeling extremely unheroic and was accused of rebelling against the village and doing that on purpose. This was why he was now filling his plane with fuel bottles for later use, his clothes, and enough food for two weeks. His father told him about the human world enough for him to want to go there. He regretted what he had done to the village, but was also glad he got an opportunity to go on an adventure. He would have plenty of occasions to be a hero to make up for that one time, starting his trip by going to the place he would have more opportunities to shine, the Capital. He looked one last time at the piece of heaven he used to live in, before climbing in his plane and leaving definitely.

Maybe would they hear of him and be proud of him one day.

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Thanks for reading and sorry for the wait.


	5. Holy Hockey stick

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Note: Hm, I promised I would make a longer chapter to make up for the lack of regular updates and... it ended up being almost as long as all the other chapters put together. I am still as busy, but trying to type anyway ._.  
I also believe it's important to say... I didn't use a beta for that chapter. So it might be awkwardly French at some moments, sorry.

I also made up a little game: find all 6 of the references in this chapter to win a fanart/one shot. The one who find the most wins, no cheating please(as in looking at the other answers xP), if there's a tie first one to find wins. Good luck~ (as an hint, it's not always from fairytales, it can be a TV show or a movie.)

I hope you'll enjoy reading~

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His eyelashes fluttered, nose wrinkled, a little groan could be heard in the room as a stray of light stubbornly tickled the young man's face. He refused to open his eyes, his mind focusing on the red light filtrating through his eyelids, before he finally started to open them slowly, seeing the world blurry and stripped at first, refusing to open them more. He sighed, stretched, his articulations making a cracking noise, feeling weird at first and then relaxed. He rolled to the side, his long slightly callous fingers searching around in a way that could remind an octopus moving underwater, the hand finally swooping down on their prey. He pushed his glasses on his nose, opening fully his still full of sleep eyes to greet the world. He kicked his blanket away, standing up stifling a yawn, and made his bed. Once he was done he noticed something. His room was pretty... bright.

And he was supposed to wake up before sunrise.

"OH MAPLE!" he covered his mouth at the swear world and scurried around to get ready as fast as he could. Once he was dressed and his hair looked like hair again and not a bird nest, he rushed downstairs, leaving his crumpled room in the attic, almost falling down two times. He managed to get to the Kitchen in time, his Master not saying anything as he passed him. Sometime, being... well, him, the invisible average guy, was a good thing.

He started searching through cupboards to make breakfast, he was already late, thankfully it looked like the castle's master just woke up so maybe could he get away with it. The best thing to do now was to make his boss' favorite; pancakes. Thankfully he was good at it. Once he was done, he hurried toward the master bedroom, taking a little awkward bow as he walked in to put the dishes on the bedside table.

His master just dismissed him with a lazy hand motion, and Matthew obeyed more than happily. He started working here some five years ago now, as an errand boy. The work wasn't the easiest thing but he got some money and a place to sleep in. He wasn't complaining much, he didn't feel like he could really work well in a farm so leaving his parents to go here wasn't that hard. Okay, he was really lonely, but it's not like they paid him much attention before anyway...

He sighed as he remembered that time when they went out for a picnic in the forest. He was really happy about going out with his parents, and he really loved the forest too so it was really exciting to him. He was around 10 years old... And his new game was to throw little rocks to the side of the track they followed, trying to make them fall at an even distance. He was a quiet child so it wasn't surprising of him to play by himself quietly as he followed his parents. His mother gave him a big loaf of bread, he wasn't sure he could eat it all, but it was nice to have a lot of food available, so he carried it with some pride; it was his task, taking care of the bread. He remembered some raven tried to steal a bite... Actually, Matthew quietly gave him a little piece of bread since he didn't believe they really were evil creature.

Later on, they reached a quiet clearing where they sat down. His mother asked him to go fetch some water. She seemed really proud of him, he had been a good boy, he could see her eyes shine a little. He was really happy that day and complied happily, going to the little clear spring they spotted on their way, getting water in the flask he was given, and came back. But he got lost on the way and couldn't spot his parents anywhere. He panicked a little, but they couldn't possibly abandon him. No, they were busy and he was a bit weak, and they tended to ignore him often and sometime he heard his dad call him useless but it was a joke, so they couldn't possibly abandon him. He then remembered his little game and, even if he felt sorry for spoiling their fun, he decided to go back home to wait for them. They might be annoyed the picnic didn't go as planned, but they should be relieved to see him.

Sometime later, his parents were back home too, as he was sitting on the step to their door. His dad looked so relieved he sighed heavily, obviously letting out a breath he held all that time. His mother cried, so happy to see he was fine again. Later on that night, as he went to bed, they partied because they were glad he was back, he could hear their muffled happy screams...

There were a few other picnics, and once he was taken to that old aunt of his, who was said to be a witch and most kids disliked. She actually was quite nice, and he liked helping her out with her eiderdown. After a month of vacation with her, he left to go back home as she gave him as a reward some money he could access later on when he would be responsible enough and a hockey equipment as he seemed to have an undying love for it.

He smiled a little at the memories. His parents also were missing him, so he had to be strong and keep on working hard. Half of his money went to them, the other half was usually used for his daily needs and out away for the day he would have himself a wife and kids to take care of. His plan for life were pretty average; wait until he was something like 21, win as much money as he could during that time while sending some to his parents to be sure they could live comfortably when they got older and unable to work, then find himself a cute girl, or just an average one, he wasn't really picky as soon as she would be nice to him, and have one kid or two, if he could a son, but daughters were fine too, he would make sure to love them anyway since they would be his adorable kids... And then live his little happy family life with them, occasionally playing hockey on weekend. Sometime he allowed himself to dream, going to Ottsen, the capital, find them a nice little apartment or house there and own a shop... For some reason he really liked the idea of owning a flower shop, or a little pancake restaurant...

He shook his head, concentrating on the task at hand again. He wasn't supposed to be day-dreaming, he was supposed to be washing the windows. As he finished thoroughly washing his fourth, another of the errand boys came up to him, looking a little worried -but Toris always looked a little worried so he wasn't sure it was really something big- and attempting a smile. Matthew smiled back, he didn't talk that much to him but enjoyed his presence.

"Our Boss wants to talk to you..."

Okay so this time Toris had good reasons to be worried. Matthew stopped smiling, wondering why he wanted to see him. Probably because he was always so... late. He thanked him quickly, excused himself and walked as fast as he could to his boss' office, hoping he would give a better impression by coming as quickly as he could this time.

He pushed the heavy wooden door open slowly after knocking three times on it, peeking in and slipping in, trying not to get his feet caught in the deep purple carpet, his footstep's echo absorbed in the fluffy ground he was stepping on. The room was dark as usual, and impressive, he always felt uneasy around here. He didn't especially like how the curtains were drawn over the large bright windows. The light was filtrated and everything looked bigger and scarier. He stepped closer to the large ebony desk his boss was currently sitting at, his hands folded in front of his face, some of his hair falling on front of his eyes. Matthew gulped, gave a little bow and spoke quietly.

"you wanted to see me, Mister...?"

Said mister jumped a little, looking up at him. He apparently was deep in thought when Matthew made his discreet entrance, and didn't see him come in. He gave him a little smile, comforting a little the poor blond, before opening his mouth to say in a smooth, quiet voice:

"Ah, Matthew. I was planning on going to Ottsen for this year's tournament. I wondered if you and Toris would like to come. I need some errand boys to take care of the travel and you two seemed to be the most responsible out of all my servant."

Matthew couldn't believe his ears. Going to Ottsen to watch one of those tournaments was one of his dreams. He never managed to go, too poor to travel or busy working. But this year his boss picked him to go with him. Sure, it was to work again, but... the capital? He could maybe find another job that paid better there, or a nice girl... But he was day dreaming. He smiled a little at his master, blushing a little, and nodded.

"I would love that. I feel honored you choose me."

"then everything is perfect. We're leaving tomorrow, you can have your afternoon free to prepare a bag."

With that his boss motioned toward the door, and Matthew went back to the light, a smile gracing his features, after taking another little bow.

* * *

He hurried to his room, thanking Toris on his way, and started packing. He took a few convenient clothes, his hockey equipment-because he could perhaps get someone to play with him there, they were going to stay for the whole tournament which lasted a good two weeks, he could surely make friends during that time, right?- all his economies -in case he wouldn't come back- as well as his little painting of his family he asked someone to make him when he left. Once he put everything he could in his bag just in case, he sat down on his bed. He had spent one good hour packing. For some reason he had had the intuition he wouldn't be coming back.

On their way to the capital the next morning, Matthew and Toris ended up sitting together in the front of their boss' carriage, chatting while exchanging from time to time the commands of the horses. The road was full of holes and leading the carriage around wasn't the easiest task ever, but they had fun. Slowly, as the forest, fields and villages passed by, a friendship rose. The two boys discovered a lot of common points and interest, shared the same dream of a peaceful, happy life when they would be done working for their current boss.

After they were done unpacking and both sat with a relieved sigh on their beds, they had come to an agreement; when they could, they'd open a flower shop together. It would work out nicely, and they'd start sharing some flat or house in Ottsen, then the first one to find a girlfriend would simply move out with her, and everything would be smooth and fine. They also agreed they were stupid not to talk earlier. They had worked together what... five months already? And they only just discovered how great friends they could have been.

They kept on talking deep into the night to catch up on those few months, both glad they found a friend, until sleep won and let them rest peacefully, both wearing a smile.

The day after, their boss simply explored the town, so did they. They got to go eat in Divine Pancakes, place Matthew decided was the best restaurant ever. They sat in a corner, immediately enveloped in the warm, private ambiance they had here, the heavy burgundy curtains obstructing the windows almost entirely gave the place an appreciable hushed ambiance. Matthew and Toris got to sit at their own table while their boss decided to climb the three little step leading to the wooden platform running along the window, getting the table near the part of the window that wasn't covered. He was currently staring at the street under them, detailing the people passing by.

The two younger boy sat in a corner near said platform, Matthew staring at the wavering flame of the candle lighting their table, while Toris ran his finger along the slightly uneven wooden table. They smiled at each other as they enjoyed their meal, a maple syrup pancake and some coffee with maple syrup instead of sugar for Matthew, and some black coffee with a blueberry muffin. They ate in relative silence, one of them commenting on the place or their food from time to time, simply enjoying each other's presence. It was weird how, in two days, they managed to feel like they always had known each other.

Busy enjoying their meal, they didn't notice the other customers here. There was a couple of old guys staring at everyone, joking, teasing each other and criticizing whatever they could, Often shouting at a waiter like they were in some sort of theater, said waiter brushing it off with a smile. The two old men apparently came back every days despite their constant mocking, their almost bald head being seen passing the door in the morning and passing it in the other way later on during the afternoon, grumbling.

There also was some guy sitting alone in a corner, his face covered by a hood. He looked rather scary, eating his meal in the barely lit part of the room. Matthew glanced at him once Toris pointed out he was rather scary, and at that exact time the ashes of tobacco situated in his pipe lit his face, bright, mysterious eyes gleaming in the sudden light before the fleeting flame vanished again as soon as it appeared, the face now empty of any orangish light and back to it's rather scary state.

Another guy was eating on a table near them, taking glances at them. This one had his dark green hooded cloak hanged on his seat and was simply drinking a cup of tea, appreciating the fact it came straight from his hometown. He kept glancing at them because the blond reminded him of something. He was sure it was important but whenever he thought he got closer to it, it slipped away again. He furrowed his pretty impressive eyebrows, now lost in thought. Then, as Matthew, Toris and their boss left, he promptly stood up and followed them after paying. He was intrigued and would know why that young person appealed to him that much.

* * *

On their way through the town, Toris suddenly stopped in track, leading to Matthew almost bumping into his back, giving him a surprised, curious look. Toris started blushing furiously, still staring at something not far from here. Matthew looked over his shoulder in order to follow his gaze to discover a young woman standing not far. She was sporting a blank look, apparently looking at the current event, her long, dark blue dress embracing her slim figure in a nice way, bringing the attention on her advantageous curves. Matthew then noticed they had reached the main place where all the events related to the tournaments were taking place, feeling slightly stupid for not noticing how the street got more crowded as they walked and the walls' color explosion. He took a minute to look around him, quite overwhelmed by the palpable joy around him, letting the feeling invade him, enjoying every bits of it. Once his eyes focused on the giant ice rink where the competitor fought for glory, he noticed the event currently taking place was a speedskating contest... And that girl who's face was rather agreeable to look at seemed rather... bored, judging on how her eyes were unfocused and the slightly downward curve her lips were taking. Toris was looking at her like he just saw an angel come down from heaven. Matthew could almost imagine his vision full of divine light and soft, white feathers floating around her. The blond nudged his day-dreaming friend lightly, calling his name softly.

"Toris? We have to go..."

At that his friend snapped out of his trance to smile at him.

"I'll come back later. I... have something to do."

With that the older man walked toward the young girl, leaving Matthew smiling behind, giving him a little wave. Little did he know that the "later" would take much longer than he thought, and he wouldn't see his now dear friend for a long, long time.

He hurried after his boss, unaware a figure draped in a dirty cloak was following him furtively. After a little bit of searching around and making his way through the crowd, his boss finally found a nice spot to sit on, his rank allowing him to sit to watch the events, while Matthew had to stand by him, people bumping into him and stepping on his feet quite a few times, always saying "sorry, didn't see you!" which was rather annoying for Matthew, who simply smiled and brushed it off despite the anger building up in his stomach. One day he would have the guts to actually let everything out. For now he just had to concentrate on his job... Which he wasn't doing since his boss started talking to him.

"... which is why I believe I should take part in the next event. Go fetch my hockey stick, quickly, it starts in fifteen minutes."

Matthew nodded and hurried through the crowd, not willing to disappoint him. Except the inn was a good 20 minutes away from here without such a heap of people running around. He managed to avoid most of them, slaloming between them expertly, reaching a little back alley and running along it to get to the inn on time.

On his way to fetch that hockey stick, he went through a little park, which was unusual in this part of the city, but he didn't have the time to think of it. On his way he passed by a hockey stick stuck in a frozen pound. He glanced at the time that was conveniently shown by a clock store not far, and felt his heart clench as he saw he only had ten minutes left to go to the inn and back. He stopped to catch his breath, his eyes automatically glued to the hockey stick. Later on, he would often regret not thinking about it more thoroughly. After all, a pound that stay frozen when it's not that cold, naturally... with a hockey stick stuck in it... in a random place of Ottsen...it was more than suspicious. But in the tales, he always heard the holy hockey stick was stuck in stone, in a secret part of the royal garden... besides he was lacking on oxygen, what with his tiring running around, and he didn't have the time to think.

He simply walked to the pound, tapping the ice with his foot to see if it was hard enough to support him, and slid all the way to the hockey stick, pulling it out easily. He looked at it, judging the weight of it with appreciation, and froze as he heard someone gasp behind him. He turned around quickly, squeaking a rather unmanly "who is there?" but nothing was.

Calming down his stumping heart a little, he ran back to his boss, unaware the person who followed him all this time was still behind him, this time muttering to himself "I can't believe I didn't recognize him earlier... of course it was that..."

* * *

Gilbert had insisted awesomely-and didn't whine and beg even if that's what Ludwig would say if he was asked- on going to see the hockey part of the tournament. He always had heard of the national sport as something really bad-ass... Plus there was beer around at the time. He wanted to run toward the guy distributing beer for free since that was a good way to advertise for their brand... which is what he was actually doing. He screamed at some guy with messy blond hair who almost stepped on him, earning himself a quick glare before the jerk ran away -wait, was he actually following that cute girl? Creepy.- and Ludwig scooped him up, sighing. So what if he was only twenty centimeters tall? He was still the sexiest guy around. Which was also why he wanted to be here badly. His plan roughly was:

1)Get on the ice rink to get noticed

2)? ? ?

3)Profit(because when you were hot like him being famous meant you made some money and got all the girls, especially those with huge boobs.)

But that would be slightly problematic if his brother didn't let go of him soon.

Then he noticed he was feeling a bit weird. He didn't really know what was going on, but he felt as if... something would happen, soon. He was calmer than before as well as on his guard. In Mapleland, Instinct was something rather important, so relying on it seemed wise.

Ludwig decided not to question him on his behavior; after all, it was nice to have him to be quiet from time to time. He managed to find a good place where he could see well, settled his brother on the barrier so they could both be comfortable, and simply enjoyed the show. He wasn't taking day off often after all, so he might as well use that one to relax.

The hockey face-off started, Gilbert grinning happily at that, when suddenly a shriek was heard. Some guy was standing up pointing at... well, apparently the cute girl who was followed around by the jerk who wanted to step on him, said girl holding a hockey stick and fidgetting, blushing madly. Which was making her even cuter, if only she was his size... He really couldn't try humping her leg, besides last time he did that he was drunk beyond belief and Ludwig had had his fun scolding him while he dealt with the hangover the following morning. But that wasn't the point right now.

The guy said something along "Where did you find that?", with a really surprised face, while she pointed toward some street. Everyone was now silent and staring at her. She explained in a little voice that wouldn't probably be heard in any other circumstance "I... found it in a frozen pound in a little garden over there... s-sorry, I'll put it back!"

Just as she was done talking, everyone started talking at once. Gilbert kept on staring at her, his weird feeling from before getting stronger now. Then suddenly the King himself stood up, putting an end to the loud chatter of the crowd.

He gestured toward the girl and said in an elegant voice, as his deep purples eyes seemed to scrutinize her over his spectacles:

"Could you perhaps lead us to the place you found it? I'm afraid this would be an event of great importance for our whole kingdom."

* * *

She simply nodded, shaking slightly, and made her way through the crowd. Then, as the king tried to follow her, she turned around the corner and... apparently dashed off. Running away. Weird. And he was kind of jealous now, he wanted some attention too! Which was why he hopped off of the fence and ran after her.

Matthew was mortified. Why was everyone staring at him...? Yes, it wasn't his hockey stick but... Seriously, he didn't intend to keeping it, it wasn't stealing it, just borrowing it... And now the King talked to him...? He didn't think he would believe it was theft too... He... didn't want to be executed for that. At all. So he obediently started walking and... Started running as fast as he could once he was out of sight. That wasn't really the best thing to do but right now he was overwhelmed. Then he felt himself being tucked away, and before he could react, he was pressed against a wall in a dark alleyway, a body leaning against him, blocking efficiently any movements he could do to get away.

He found himself staring in deep, concerned green eyes, only light on the hood-covered face.

"Listen, Lad, I don't want to harm you, but I believe we have to talk."

Matthew gave a slight nod. For some reason he felt like he could trust him. Plus he was hidden for now. And if he agreed maybe would he be allowed to move again and... Well, you could hurt someone badly with a hockey stick, and he was still clutching on it...

He was released indeed.

"What do you want?"

Okay that was more aggressive than it was intended. But well, he had been pressed against a wall after being chased by the entire people of Ottsen...

"Calm down please. I'm here to help you. I believe you are part of a prophecy you might have heard of and... Oh well, put simply, you, by dislodging the holy hockey stick, are meant to go save our Princess. And I'm supposed to follow you to help you out."

He stared at the other guy, who had taken down his hood now and looked rather serious. It... didn't make sense, but still made sense in a way. He did take that hockey stick that didn't belong to him... and the people's reaction would be more logical in that case. But still, he couldn't be that person.

"H-hm, I would like it if you stopped making fun of me..."

The other man sighed before once again looking at him, his tone still as serious and his face showing a slight bit of annoyance.

"I'm not making fun of you. I am perfectly serious. Accordingly to what I know, the holy hockey stick would be removed by a young man sporting a really special curl. He would later on be joined by a representative of the most important species of Mapleland... And I would apparently be your wizard since I witnessed your brave act."

Well that wasn't overwhelming at all... Matthew took a deep breath. He heard the others searching for him and hid farther in the shade. He didn't look dangerous and his story could entertain him for a while... And well, it was rather interesting. Plus it sounded more and more... like it could be true. He heard some tales about the great hero going to get the princess with a fairy, a lilliputian and a wizard... He just couldn't believe it would be him. It was silly.

"So... why would I be that great hero...? I mean, I'm an errand boy, and I'm not that strong."

The other gave him a little shrug.

"I have no idea, lad. I wish we could discuss it around a nice cup of tea, but I believe you want to avoid that crowd for now? Also, I should introduce myself correctly. My name is Arthur Kirkland, it is nice to meet you."

he couldn't help but find the other man weird. He...at first dragged him to an empty alleyway, looking like he was about to rob him, rape him or kill him. And now he introduced himself in a rather formal way, even mentioning a cup of tea... Acting like a gentleman. He smiled awkwardly and offered his hand in order to shake his.

"I'm Matthew. Matthew Williams. It's... nice to meet you too..."

Well he wasn't sure it was nice but he might as well be polite. It was kind of surreal... As Matthew was about to ask more informations on that story, they heard a low growl coming from the other side of the alleyway. They both turned in direction of the noise, their eyes widening as they discovered the huge, furious, white form about to swoop down on them.

This was definitely not Matthew's day.

* * *

And yes, this is an actual cliff-hanger. i'll type the next chapter as soon as possible 'w'


	6. Polar bear attack

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Note: YAY it didn't take too long! Anyway, I'm glad I was able to post that quickly. this story have a total of 30 reviews, it's quite nice, I like reading people's view on it ^^

Anyway about last chapter's little game, well, I had two people answering to that, and the one who found most was Tea-PartyCrasher (who found the Muppet show reference, the sword in the stone one and the Lord of the ring one).The answers were Frau Holle(by Grimm if I remember well), South Park(underwear gnomes), Statler & Waldorf(Muppet show), Aragorn(the lord of the ring), The sword in the stone(as I remembered the myth with king Arthur, it had two version, one with the lady of the lake and one with a sword in a stone, I mixed both by making it a pond ^^") and Little Thumbling(le petit poucet) by Perraut.

I also posted more fanarts on my profile, thanks to Eima for drawing something for me. The others are...just how I imagine them in this specific AU, including Alfred, Arthur, Matthew and Toris.

And as a reminder we have an RP forum based on Mapleland too so feel free to take a look.

Now enjoy reading it and sorry about the long author note.

* * *

Gilbert was running as fast as his tiny legs allowed him. It was in those moments he hated being so small. Usually Ludwig would carry him after a few attempts at ordering him around, but in his hurry he left him behind -he might not be happy not to know where his brother went but oh well-And just rushed away. He turned around the corner just in time to see someone pulling the blond in an alleyway pretty far away from where he was now. That wasn't awesome for him. He ran faster, his bad impression only intensifying. He had a knot in his guts, feeling like someone had fun twisting them and squeezing them every so often, his only hope was that he wouldn't be too late. In the same time other people were running around calling for her,searching everywhere but the right place.

* * *

But for some reason, instead of screaming to them where she went like he would usually to grab some attention, he simply swore lowly under his breath and kept on being as quick as possible. How could they be so inefficient when she probably was in danger? It wasn't like him to get pissed about a total stranger's well-being, but that thought didn't even brush him in his hurry.

In the meantime, somewhere not that far, some fairy was flying around in his plane. He wasn't lost at all; He was... exploring. Yeah, exploring the dangerous part of the capital in order to find some... dangerous guy and beat him up somehow and be the hero. That was exactly that, and it had nothing to do with him being lost.

Oh and since he was so heroic, he was absolutely not scared by the fact the little alley he was in was terribly dark and creepy. The day's light was filtered by the roofs far up above, the sun rays not reaching the pavement. Alfred shivered slightly, pretty sure something ugly would happen there, but that was why he was here... his purpose was to save people.

With a bit of luck, some damsel in distress would be... probably dragged in that back alley by a creepy ugly old guy! Who would rob her or worse. And then he'd appear in his shiny plane, screaming something heroic, and would stop the bad guy by... kicking him hard in the guts, or something as cool as that, and then the damsel in distress would thank him, maybe give him a kiss and ask him to marry her, to what he'd answer, smiling his heroic,charming grin; "I'm sorry, but I already am engaged to someone called... Adventure!" And with that he'd bid her farewell and fly away toward the setting sun, probably singing that song he wrote about a poor lonesome cowboy-they were bad ass in his opinion-, feeling like his duty was done for the day. Then when the girl wouldn't see him anymore he'd eat something out of his lunch box, probably a hamburger, as another reward. Yeah, that would be a perfect day.

He jumped a little as he heard a little, muffled noise, then his scenario just happened before his eyes. He gaped as he saw some hooded menacing guy press some girl against a wall. He hurried toward them,ready to do his heroic action of the day, but by the time he got there they were simply chatting and getting all friendly. It was rather weird but she wasn't apparently in danger...

He landed his plane not far, the two other people unaware of his presence -how dare they ignore him!- and pouted. He wanted to do something heroic soon, that was unfair!

All busy pouting, he didn't notice the little polar bear cub looking through the trashes not far-which wasn't actually unusual since Polar bear were a really common species in Mapleland-and especially didn't notice how his frustration materialized. Like most young or untrained fairies, Alfred's magic tended to be a little erratic and showed when he felt some strong emotion, most of the time with him being entirely unaware of it. Alfred being himself, never actually noticed when he used it. It usually helped him a little when he made things, when it seemed hopeless and he was about to sulk, he suddenly managed to do everything as if it was really simple, and never actually thought magic could be the reason why. Of course, since he didn't believe in Magic, he always imagined it was his sheer luck helping him out.

He then noticed how both of the people in front of him-the "attacker" actually being younger than he thought and quite cute if it wasn't for those gigantic eyebrows eating his face- looked in his global direction, their eyes widening and their face slowly going from a rather neutral face to one of horror, the healthy shade of pink on their cheek turning paler by the time. He stared at them dumbly before looking behind him. Ghost... didn't really exist... right? And that alley... wasn't that scary so they were probably... pranking him. He slowly turned around to glance over his shoulder before shrieking in an unheroic way -he would later on deny it, there was no way someone like him could utter such an embarrassing sound-.

* * *

Behind him was a big, menacing polar bear like monster. Its eyes were gleaming with fury and the thirst to kill, his chops hitched up to reveal long, ivory fangs ready to sink into the nearest breathing thing and rip it apart. Maybe was it his chance to be a hero after all.

Matthew's breath was caught in his throat as his entire body tensed up, freezing on the spot. The beast, that he swore wasn't here a moment before or shouldn't have been allowed in town, was staring straight at him. He couldn't take his eyes away from it, pretty sure that if the eye-contact broke its anger would be released. Then he heard that shriek, looked down, quickly noticed the fairy before the... apparently gigantic and blood thirsty version of a polar bear lunged forward. He himself yelped as he was suddenly pulled to the side, pressed against the wall again while Arthur put himself between him and the menace. In a blink of an eye the other had a book in hand and started reciting something while the air around him took a glow, but sadly he wasn't fast enough as the bear knocked him out with a large stroke of his paw, the claws only ripping the fabric of his coat thankfully for him. As Arthur lay on the ground,visibly groggy after taking that blow, Alfred ran to them, keeping on kicking the bear, quite scared but doing what was needed, tugging on the fur hard, but his effort went unnoticed. He was trying not to panic at his incapacity to defend the other person. As For Matthew, he held his hockey stick on front of him as a weapon, ready to fight the beast hovering over him. As the beast growled he stumbled back a little, still holding the stick firmly, trying to get himself some escape possibility by getting his back away from the cold wall. He shut his eyes tightly as the thing lifted his left paw again, and suddenly felt some strong arm wrap around him, someone putting their hands over his and lifting the stick to efficiently hit the beast on its head.

He felt incredibly safe here, for some odd reason he had a feeling he wouldn't be harmed and everything would get better now. As he shifted to get more comfortable against the other random person and be able to defend himself with them -he was still holding on the hockey stick after all-. He felt braver than before. Maybe was it because it now looked like he could do something against that beast. As the other person panted in his ear -he apparently had rushed here?- he heard something shuffle on the side. The bear was about to strike again but Matthew's new ally was quicker to react, hitting it again twice, Matthew simply following the movement, trying not to hinder the strength the other put in his blows.

Then Arthur was on his feet again and started reciting his spell once more,after stumbling a little and leaning slightly against the wall because of the after-shock of being hit so harshly, his eyes fixed on the beast in a poisonous glare.

Arthur hated how weak he just had appeared. He wasn't a weakling, he knew that. He had reacted on impulse when protecting Matthew, he couldn't let such a gentle looking lad get hurt because of such a beast. He should have been more careful though. That thing obviously wasn't natural, and he had felt a small amount of magic a few seconds before the thing appeared. But he was so caught up in his task and the joy he found the chosen one he didn't really pay it attention. It was obvious the responsible was that fairy currently trying to fight the bear monster thing -with absolutely no success. Why wasn't he using his magic? He could do it,and was old enough to have mastered it, such a wanker, not even able to think of that- The fairy probably didn't intend to releasing such a thing on them. Matthew was fighting with his hockey stick, helped by... Whoever that other guy was-he wasn't here a second ago but he couldn't complain, he probably saved the lad's life-, but it wasn't enough. What was needed to defeat a magical creature was magic. He didn't expect he would have to start working for him as soon as that -sharing a cup of tea and learning a little about his soon to be companion first would have been welcomed- but it gave him a good occasion to show he was very much capable of dealing with such things. Even if it had started badly. And he probably wouldn't be able to cancel the entire spell either, but he could at least make the thing inoffensive.

The air around him glowed once again, a greenish light twirling around his feet before taking in strength and finally surrounding him entirely as his low voice echoed along the alley way, the words in a language none of the present people could recognize bouncing on the dark walls. The others glanced at him, feeling a chill, and then suddenly a beam of light erupted out of the young wizard's hand, who was aiming straight at the beast. It hit it, the light now blinding them all a bit. When they reopened their eyes they saw that instead of the menacing beast was now a confused polar bear cub, looking at them with his adorable, questioning little gleaming eyes before tilting its head and asking;

"Who?"

And that was exactly the question most of the people here wanted to ask now that the menace was over and everyone was safe.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it~


	7. God save the queen

Title: Awesome tales of Mapleland

Author: Inunobaka/me

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Note: That chapter... at first it refused to let itself be writen, then it refused to let itself end ._. Yeah, it ended up being extremely long. I didn't plan on it being so long, I planned those events to be in one chapter but didn't think they'd take that much place xD; Anyway, I hope you enjoy it... Oh yeah and, it's 2:30 AM here, I started working on it at 11:00AM, so if the end looks a bit different let's say I'm exhausted, sorry orz

* * *

Matthew stared at the adorable bear cub in front of him, his breath a bit heavy after all that fright. It was terribly cute, with its white fluffy fur, its tiny ears plopping out of that round head, its little pinkish brownish paws and the way it tilted it's head to the left. He just couldn't understand how something so tiny and nice looking could be the same thing as the beast that tried to rip everyone here apart.

His attention,which was focused on the ex-menace, returned to the second thing that was weird for him when the calloused hands holding on to his let go of his slender fingers slowly. His own arms dropped to his sides, his right hand still clutching on the stick. The warmth of the body pressed against his back left him,which in a way relieved him since he wasn't that comfortable with having some stranger breathing heavily in his ear if it wasn't needed. Though he was really grateful; said stranger saved his life when he had no reason to, it was rather nice of him. He turned around to look at whoever helped them out of that hellish situation and was startled when said person started cackling loudly. It was a rather scary laugh, Matthew couldn't help but associate it with the laugh some mad man would have.

Arthur, on his side, tucked his spell book under his arm, sighing, obviously irritated he had lost his cloak. It was made out of the finest wool available back in Lonbri, his hometown, and it was rather expensive. He would have to try sewing it back to its original shape, or use magic, though he disliked using it for everything. He wasn't lazy and didn't want to use it as a good excuse to be. He looked at the fairy, who intrigued him more than the newcomer at the moment. He appreciated the pattern on his wings, then detailed his entire being. He had a rather nice face, sharpness showing in it even though it conserved some sort of roundness which let Arthur guess he just came out of childhood, a young fairy. His body reflected it too, though he could also be a bit chubby, he wasn't sure. His eyes, framed by some glasses, were looking up at him curiously. He was about to interrogate him on his intentions when he heard another voice.

"Awesome! I'd never think I'd see the day I'll be as tall as others!"

Gilbert was almost shining with childish glee. All his life he had envied his brother for being so tall, and even if said brother did everything to accommodate him, this world wasn't made for people his size. How often did he have to climb, jump, crawl around to get to his goal, when everyone else could do it effortless? He never really admitted the bitter feeling he had at being the only person around his size. Whenever someone asked him if it wasn't lonely, he laughed loudly and said "being alone is awesome!" Which was true, in a way, he liked being unique, but... He really was lonely at time. And he hated people's pity. Even Ludwig sometime seemed like he felt sorry for him. He hated it more than anything, especially with the way everyone treated him like a child. He was a twenty year old, not a kid anymore, and he could care for himself. Anyway, those days were over, hopefully for good. He never felt so good than when he actually fought that beast, so powerful... He kept on laughing loudly, ignoring the fact he was completely naked and that blond chick was staring at him, blushing slightly and her mouth hanging open. Wait, he could probably get some reward from her...

He walked to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer in the process. He smirked in what he believed was a seductive way, which appeared more like a predatory smile to Matthew whose eyes widened at being tugged against that nudist again. Gilbert's piercing eyes scanned the young boy's face, liking what he saw there, since he had quite a nice and cute face in his taste, before talking again.

"so, little bird... Want to meet my five centimeters long?"

* * *

Gilbert always found five centimeters to be a gigantic size, especially for him, and was pretty sure it was appealing for girls. Plus he saved her life, she couldn't say no, right? He really wanted to get laid, being a virgin was un-awesome for someone like him.

Matthew really had had a rough day. It all started well, what with his happy moments with his new best friend, enjoying the quietness and coziness of Divine Pancakes, eating his favorite dish... Then his boss had to want to join in that stupid tournament and be pushy. Oh, how he hated him at the moment. First the crowd staring at him, the King himself talking to him, little nobody, and that chase around town... Then there was the mini heart attack when Arthur, who very much looked like a green representation of the ripper had pulled him against that stupid, cold, hard wall. Like that wasn't enough, he had to deal with being his nation's hero now, and even if it was flattering, it was so sudden he could just be shocked. When that info barely started to sink in, that awful beast attacked them, some naked guy pressed against him, blowing in his ear, and now called him a girl and... What with that five centimeters? Who would be proud to have such a tiny one? He couldn't take it anymore, that was definitely too much for him in less than half an hour. He pushed Gilbert away rather roughly, stumbling a few steps back, before curling up and starting to shake with laughter. At first it was so quiet it looked like he was just twitching, then it took in intensity before the insane, nervous laugh echoed along the alleyway. He had lost it. He looked up, his eyes filled with tears, his breath erratic as he was still laughing.

"Are you kidding? Who would want of such a tiny dick, eh? Even if I was a fucking girl I wouldn't want of it! And what with bears and heroes? That's bullshit!" He laughed a bit more after his outburst before crashing against the wall, fainting. He just couldn't handle such strong emotions coming in so quickly one after another. Him collapsing was his body's way to protect him from such overwhelming news.

Gilbert stared at him, before suddenly feeling a little dizzy, he closed his eyes, bringing his hand to his head, and when he reopened them everything looked more familiar. As despair over his normal height being back overtook him, Arthur rushed to Matthew's side. Not knowing what to do, Gilbert walked toward him too, that bad feeling back. It wasn't as intense as before but he couldn't help but worry, not that he'd admit it. Both of them exchanged a look, silently agreeing on taking care of the blond before thinking of whatever just happened.

As for Alfred, he had looked at the guy who just used magic curiously, wondering how he did that and why he looked so pissed at him. He had been heroic, fighting that monster that was fifty times his size... he let go of the few white hair still lodged in his knuckles, and patted himself on the back mentally. It was obvious he took a great part in that battle. He looked up startled at the damsel in distress who apparently had had too much. And what a language too... he remembered how he was always told not to swear, but wow, that one was going at it... then he followed the two other in their rushing to the now limp body's side. He really hoped it wasn't too serious... He watched anxiously as the guy with big eyebrows checked his pulse.

"... it's still beating...? the heart?"

He was curious, he couldn't help it. The albino who was now approximatively his size -he seriously had to ask him how he did that bad-ass trick later, for now he wanted to know about that heart- glanced at him, also looking quite worried. They simultaneously turned to look at Arthur. The wizard blushed a little as he started feeling the boy, trying to check if there was any broken bone or injuries on the now terribly frail looking body.

"he's still alive. I think it just was too much for him to bare. He just fainted, I don't think he got injured... Well, he might get a few bruises from his previous fall but he'll be fine."

He sighed, moving him just slightly so he was lying on the pavement, his head on his lap. Serious green eyes scanned the face of the two tiny people in front of him. They both stiffened, not sure of what was to happen, but it looked like they'd get scolded or something...

"So, you two... You're going to get that bear and make him follow. Our friend here have an appointment in the castle, and he'll probably sleep better in a bed." His tone made it clear he was taking the lead starting now, and while both of the other guys didn't like being bossed around usually, they understood this situation called for it. They both nodded, silently going to grab the bear's fur around his neck, tugging lightly to make him understand he had to follow. The bear cub looked at them puzzled before obeying, having nothing better to do.

Arthur shifted the body so he could carry him on his back, wrapping him in the remain of his cloak. He knew people out there were still looking for him and figured avoiding the agitation could only do good to the exhausted lad. He somehow felt protective of him and assumed it was because he was destined to protect him like the prophecy said. He looked behind him to make sure the two other followed. While he was busy making sure he had the lad and the hockey stick secured on his back, the albino had climbed on the bear's back and was now riding him like anyone would ride a horse, directing him with light tugs on his fluffy round ears. The fairy had run back to... whatever that weird thing was, climbed in it and was now making it fly toward them. A weird fellow indeed.

* * *

Once he was sure they were ready to go, he started walking in the general direction of the castle, avoiding the still agitated crowd as much as he could.

Alfred didn't especially like the tense atmosphere there was, so he lowered his plane so he could fly next to the albino boy. He really wanted to know after all... and he loved to make friends so it was perfect. Plus that other person was fine so he didn't have to worry, right? Right.

"Yo! My name is Alfred F Jones. What's yours?"

Gilbert looked up at him, trying to distract himself from that annoying feeling he had. Yeah, he was sulking. He was worried about a random /guy/, had flirted with said guy, who said he had a tiny dick, and nobody could insult the Awesomeness personification's virility! And... he had grown up, it felt so good, and now suddenly he was back to that size? It wasn't fair. He welcomed the distraction from his darker feelings.

"I'm Gilbert. Bur for you it'll be master Gilbert."

Alfred laughed at that, thinking it was some sort of joke, while Gilbert was perfectly serious. That other fairy wasn't awesome enough in his mind to be friendly.

"Cool, Gilbert! Say, how did you do that shrinking trick? And Why are you walking around naked? It's gross man!"

Gilbert scowled. Yup, definitely not awesome. As he was about to show to that guy what awesome was, mostly by punching him for daring to be so annoying, Arthur spoke.

"We're here, you two try to behave. And... Gilbert, was it? Put some clothes on."

With that Arthur threw him a handkerchief, it was the best thing he had under his hand at the moment.

* * *

Gilbert caught it, slipped down from his new mean of transport and tied the handkerchief around himself, trying to make it look awesome despite it looking like some strapless dress. Once he was done, Alfred snickered, which earned him a glare. Arthur walked straight to a guard and told him he had the boy, letting him check. He fitted the description they had been given, and he led them to the throne room.

As soon as the ruckus had quieted down a little after Matthew had run away, Roderich had sighed and waved his hand in direction of the castle, asking to go back there. He figured sitting here would be simpler for people to bring him the hero. So here he was, playing the piano to calm his nerves down. He had waited so long for that. He and his wife were rather happy together,but nothing could bring back the past happiness of the time shared with their beautiful daughter. She was such a sweet child, always smiling and polite... He had stopped hoping, sure he wouldn't ever get her back, but his wife never faltered. She was the strong one. She was way more suited to be in charge of the kingdom. His fingers kept on stroking the ivory keys, the light and serious music filling the room. He looked up when he saw the people here and froze.

Elizaveta was sitting next to her husband, one of her slender hand resting on his thigh as he played. She had known him for long enough to interpret that song as a nervous but hopeful one. She knew he doubted that prophecy, while she clung to it and stayed strong through all those month without news from their child. She stood up as soon as the new people walked in the room, almost running to them. She lifted the cloth hiding partially the unconscious boy, looking at him worriedly before taking the lead. Roderich had stopped playing and was looking at them.

"Follow me, he needs to lie down."

Arthur was, he admitted, slightly impressed he was talking to the queen. He always had admired her work from afar and meeting her in person was something big for him. He usually had a quick wit, always having a ready reply, but this time all he could do was nodding and following her. Saying he was impressed by her presence was an understatement.

Roderich joined their little group, not willing to admit his wife was doing most of the work in maintaining the kingdom while he mostly enjoyed a good cup of tea, some cake and played music. Once they reached the room and Arthur tucked Matthew under the blanket, everyone taking a few moments to look at his peaceful features as his chest heaved up and down in a steady rhythm, everything indicating he was simply sleeping, the king cleared his throat.

"Shall we go back to the throne room now we are done?"

His wife nodded, she also had a lot of questions to ask. Arthur still being intimidated by such a closeness to them gave another little nod, and they made their way back. Even Alfred was quiet, since he was busy admiring the things he could see along the corridors. Once they were all lined in the throne room, facing the majestic royal couple, Arthur couldn't help but feel like they were extremely out of place, what with him having a dirty, slashed cloak and disheveled hair, that polar bear cub busy chewing on... Oh lord, was that one of the really expensive looking chair's leg...? Anyway, the polar bear cub chewing on a part of the castle's furniture, the half naked Albino lilliputian busy scratching his backside like he was alone, wearing some half-assed toga made out of an embroidered handkerchief, and that oblivious fairy humming to himself as he was... apparently polishing his weird machine with some dirty oil, making some drip on the previously shining with cleanliness tile. Yeah, they definitely were out of place. Arthur blushed a little, ashamed of what they looked like in front of the people he respected the most.

Roderich made a face as he saw the little group stand in front of him, wrinkling his nose, but trying to look detached again as his wife frowned at him a little. She smiled at them, ignoring the mess.

"So, Hello, gentlemen, and thanks for bringing him here. If you don't mind, I'll have some question for you, but first of all I believe we should introduce ourselves. I'm your queen, as you might now, and here is my husband, our king. May I know your names?"

She tucked some stray hair behind her hair again in a swift motion, her tone friendly. She didn't have much distraction nowadays, and she loved to socialize, so meeting those people was rather exciting for her. Especially since they looked so different from those she used to see at the castle. She was rather... Wild, enjoying her time outside. She sometime dressed up as a boy in order to go out and have fun, winning drinking contests and spying on cute boys. She also had a secret obsession with gay people. And she couldn't help but imagine what could happen with such a group of young men... She blushed a little as she imagined the different outcome, which was interpreted by her guest as some shyness.

Arthur blushed himself, his cheeks taking a rather nice shade of red.

"My name is Arthur Kirkland, from Lonbri, my queen. It is a real pleasure to meet you."

He hoped he wasn't being impolite by stating it, but it was the truth. Gilbert just waved at her like he didn't care.

"Gilbert. You've got nice boobs miss."

As Arthur stared at him in shock, his mouth slightly agape, and the king glared dagger at him with a huff, Gilbert walked toward the queen who raised an eyebrow at him.

"I bet you'll be happy the awesomeness that is me agrees to touch them." When he was at her feet, grinning. She smirked herself and suddenly, before he could make a move, she had a frying pan in hand. Before he got the time to gasp, the pan was smashed over his head with a loud noise echoing all along the throne room and the adjacent corridors, as well as a really unmanly shriek and a few curse including "you evil bitch!" and "not awesome!" uttered. Gilbert quickly crawled away to hide behind the bear who was now bored with his chewing toy and was licking his belly, apparently grooming himself.

"What was that for? That was so un-awesome!"

The queen simply laughed, her slender hand over her painted lips, the frying pan now resting innocently on her lap.

"I took your size in account and didn't hit too hard. You'll have to learn respect toward the ladies, Gilbert."

She chuckled again at the face the other made, something in between a wince and a pout, and then looked at the now laughing fairy.

"That was amazing miss! I'm Alfred F Jones, it's cool to meet ya!"

Well, at least that one wasn't too impolite or too stuck up. She simply smiled at him and nodded, her husband looking terribly unhappy with them. She shrugged it off, if she wanted to welcome them she could.

"It's nice to meet you all. Now if I may... I would like to know what happened for our savior to be in such a state?"

Arthur sighed, he apparently would have to do the talking since Alfred was busy scratching the bear's belly, said bear busy enjoying it -it was rather fun to see his eyes rolling back in his head because of it, he obviously was pleased with that attention- And Gilbert was pouting and cursing under his breath, apparently still hurting.

"He was overwhelmed by today's events and collapsed, my queen."

She nodded again, folding her hands on her lap and leaning toward him a little.

"How are you related to him?"

Arthur gulped. He didn't really have much to do with him... He choose to be honest, one couldn't lie to their queen after all.

"I met him earlier today."

"Why were you taking care of him then?"

It seemed like she implied she suspected them all to be after a recompense. Which wasn't true, in Arthur's case. He didn't want to leave the lad alone in the castle, it would probably be too much for him to wake up like that, he wanted to make sure at least one slightly familiar face would greet him when he came back to his sense. He could only imagine how intimidating waking up in such a luxurious room would be. Determination gleaming in his eyes, he answered, hoping it would convince the queen. Gilbert had looked up, looking a bit worried too, apparently also concerned about the blond's well-being. As for Alfred, he tensed up, faking he wasn't listening. It was his hero duty to watch over the person he saved until they were fine after all.

"I was here when he took the holy hockey stick out of the frozen pond, just like the prophecy indicated. We both got attacked by that bear -with that, he pointed toward Kumajiro- who was a gigantic size at the time. Gilbert appeared out of nowhere to save us, making sure Matthew was fine during a moment of weakness. As for Alfred, he helped out and seemed genuinely worried about his well-being."

His tone was serious, he had told the entire story, hoping it would be enough to get to stay around the lad long enough to make sure he was fine.

The royal couple looked at them gravely, before exchanging a quick look. The King then stood with a nod.

"I understand. You seem like you care about him indeed, which is why I'll allow you to stay around until he wakes up. Elizaveta, if you may...?"

He turned toward the queen at the end of the speech, and she smiled at him. Her smile this time had a more gentle and loving touch,it was obviously only meant for the man she loved. She stood up too, and while he went to his piano to play again, this time a lighter tune that she interpreted as some sort of relief, she walked to them and with a sign of her hand indicated they had to follow her.

After a little walk along the corridor, the only noise being the light sound of their steps on the tiles and their even breathing, she opened a door similar to the one leading to the room Matthew was resting in. She closed it once everyone was inside and spoke again, as they detailed the rich and welcoming decorations.

"the room next to this one is where your friend is resting. You can get to it directly using this door-with that, she pointed at the wall, where you could see a door painted in the same fashion as the wall if you concentrated, more likely a hidden door- Once he wake up, we would like to be warned. Dinner is usually served around 8 PM, you can join us. Someone will bring you clothes. Until then, you can rest. Have a nice stay here, it's nice to have guest."

She smiled warmly at them again before skipping away, already a bit relieved from all the tension from those past ten years. They had found their hero, they'll probably get their daughter back soon, it was just a question of time now.

* * *

Once she left, Arthur sighed and glanced at the two others warily. He wanted to go look over the lad, but leaving those two here alone was probably not a good idea. He scooped them in his arms despite the protest and the fact Gilbert bite him -earning a hissed "you little berk!" and a slap over his already painful head- and walked in the room, dropping the albino without much care and putting the fairy down on the bedside table. He hesitated a little before sitting on the bed, careful not to sit too close to the body resting. He tucked some of the strand hair behind the young man's ear, earning a scowl from Gilbert who had climbed on the bed by himself. The albino sat on the lad's torso, moving up and down with his chest when he was breathing. He stared at his face, then looked back at Arthur.

"So, Well, Arthur, was it? Do you know who he is?"

"The name is Matthew. And he's more likely the one who is supposed to go save our princess... Who are you? And what happened in that alley?"

"No idea. I was all running to go help or something, then I got all big, lost my clothes, helped him out, and got back to my normal size."

he shrugged, trying to hide his dejection by acting like he didn't care. Arthur raised an eyebrow, staring at him a little while. It was true lilliputians were rare around Mapleland, it wasn't that weird if something happened and they had no explanations...

"I see. Sorry, I don't have much knowledge on your species. Now..."

He turned to Alfred, who was listening to them. He grinned at him, his wings fluttering a little.

"Yeah?"

"Alfred. You're the one who made that bear cub grow, weren't you?"

Alfred huffed. Like hell it was him! He'd never hurt anyone willingly, and he wasn't even able to do such a thing.

"Fuck no! Like I could do that."

Arthur winced at the use of the F word.

"Language young man!" With that, he started thinking. Alfred looked like a really weird fairy. He had beautiful wings in shape, and yet he invented that flying machine... He didn't use magic earlier either. And if he said he wouldn't, it could be because he wasn't aware he used it -he was sure he did it, after all fairy's magic was different from human's and it was rather obvious in this case-.

"Alfred, what are you?"

"Glad you ask! I'm an alien. I come from space."

Okay, that explained it. He sighed and reported his attention on Matthew, who stirred. Everyone in the room became quiet as he groaned, turning around -Gilbert letting out a yelp at being thrown to the side and almost crushed- And snuggling in the sheets more, actually hugging the lilliputian like he was some plush. Gilbert struggled a little bit but the grip on him was strong.

* * *

It was quite weird, being all squished by that blond boy. In a way, it felt comfortable, since he was warm and soft, just the right thing to cuddle. Plus he was really cute and Gilbert always had a soft spot for cute things. But in the same time there were people looking at them so it was terribly embarrassing, hugging some guy wasn't manly at all. He reached to brush his hands against the boy's cheeks, just using the opportunity given to him to actually feel him up a little, and grabbed on the soft skin to pull on them. He chuckled at the weird face he made, since his stretching made him smile some crooked long smile, when the boy's eyelid fluttered to finally reveal his eyes. He blinked at the tiny thing he was hugging before sitting up, Gilbert landing on his lap with a "oof!" and smirking at him. Arthur leaned closer too, trying to hide the worry on his face. As for Alfred, he had climbed on Arthur's shoulder and was now sitting here, waving at Matthew.

It was nice in here, he didn't really know where it was actually, but it was warm and soft and comfortable... And there was no Mapleland, no princess to save,no giant polar bear and no naked guy flirting with him. Though there was some voices saying... stuff. And then, as he rolled away from them, there was something in his way so he could as well take it... yeah, that sounded nice. He tried to keep on dreaming about that good beaver tail he was eating, when something pinched his cheeks and pulled hard. He reluctantly opened his eyes to see the man who had talked about tiny little parts. Except it looked more like a doll from its size. Which was surprising. He sat up instantly at that, to see that wizard who had told him he had to save the princess and the shrieking fairy were here too. Damn, would he never be able to escape his fate? And what was that bed?

"Where am I...?"

Arthur, since it was his name, answered.

"You're in the castle."

"What happened...?"

"You fainted."

Alfred grinned at him.

"Hey, I'm Alfred. You were funny when you collapsed. Glad you're fine now."

Well, it was nice of him to worry about his well-being... he smiled a little, feeling terribly calm. Maybe could he do something great like that... After all, being a hero was the dream of many people, no? And he'd surely get enough money to get his little dream life afterward... It couldn't be that bad if people fought to get it every year... he stifled a yawn, still a little tired, before looking at the small frame on his lap.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hug you... but, hm, thanks for earlier. You're the one who helped, right?"

Gilbert was amazed by the change in character. The fierce man who had showed him away and erupted in a mad laughter was now a rather quiet -how could you speak so quietly? It sounded more like a whisper- and polite person. Which made him even more cute. He smirked and sat more comfortably again.

"No problem, you can give the awesome me some money as a thank instead."

Matthew chuckled at that, supposing it was a joke.

Arthur was glad he seemed fine and had digested the new well. Then he checked the big clock he could see in the room, noticing dinner would be in ten minutes.

"Matthew? The Queen said we could go eat dinner with them in a short time, do you think you can walk?"

* * *

The blond looked at him again, readjusting his glasses on his nose, before moving his legs a little. Feeling like he could probably walk around, he nodded. Dinner with the Queen... that was intimidating. But he knew he had to do it so... Well, he might as well get it over with. As he thought that, someone knocked on the door. Arthur looked at him before telling them to come, leading to two maids coming in to give them set of clothes their size. After leaving as discretely as they could, the boys all got changed, not minding it too much since they were all boys, though Gilbert's eyes tended to stick to Matthew's chest to make sure he was a boy, making him blush slightly and turn away. Once they were all wearing decent clothes -Matthew suspected they were of a really good quality- they all walked along the corridor to reach a spacious dining room.

One wall was full of mirrors, reflecting the light of the sunset you could see by the gigantic windows facing said mirrors. Some big crystal chandeliers were hanging over their heads. But what was more impressive to them, beside the antique statues and the golden leaves applied over the fine-cut wooden decorations running along the walls was the table. Made out of a robust, dark wood and covered by a silk white table cloth, the table supported what their stomach had been craving for; a multitude of different, subtle delicacies.

It was obvious it was the royal dinner, which intimated two of them. Matthew blushed and played with his hands until some manservant made him sit and put another silk cloth over his lap. He looked over to the king and queen seated there, then to his... more or less friends now sitting on his sides. Gilbert had gotten a miniature chair to his size put on the table, which seemed to make him happy, same went for Alfred who started eating straight away, more like swallowing all the bits he could find under his reach.

Matthew looked up at the king, who nodded at him, and took it as an authorization to start eating. He tried his best to remember how his boss behaved to make a good impression. As for Arthur, he looked like he knew what he was doing, reminding Matthew of a perfect gentleman.

Once the dinner was started, Roderich detailed the hero's face. He didn't know how such a frail person could save his daughter. But if he had been chosen, it meant he had a strong heart and would fulfill his task. Plus he seemed nice so he could probably trust him. He sighed, patting his lips with a napkin once he finished his dish, before speaking.

"So, Young man... May I know your name?"

Matthew jumped, looking at him, stiffening.

"Y-yes sir! I'm Matthew Williams."

He was really nervous around the king, his cheeks taking a slight pink color.

"Well, Matthew, Would you like to go save my daughter?"

Matthew was a bit surprised it sounded like a request. However, you couldn't refuse a request coming from the king.

"O-of course... I'd... love to be of any help... but..."

"But?"

Roderich cut him, desperation quickly crossing over his face, even though it lasted barely one second. He couldn't show weakness, not now. He could always force him... Matthew ,however, saw it. He didn't want to make the king worried, and even if he didn't have kids, he could only imagine what it was like to stay ten years without knowing what happened to them...

"I just... Are you sure I can do it? It was a mistake..."

Roderich felt relieved it was only that. His wife smiled a little at him, her face showing a bit of sadness as she spoke softly.

"Matthew, we've been waiting ten years for that... Even if you didn't intend to taking that stick, it was decided it would be you. You're our only hope, we trust you'll do a good job."

He blushed more at that. He really couldn't refuse now, could he?

"I'll do it... B-but, hm, will I have people helping me out...?"

At that, the royal couple glanced at their other guests. They knew the prophecy said there would be helpers, from different species... While Arthur seemed like he would be reliable, the two others... Well, they weren't sure it would be a good idea...

Arthur put his hand on Matthew's shoulder in a comforting motion, he wasn't that good at this...

"You have my magic."

The queen glanced at the fairy who had stopped eating at that, and walked to stand in front of Matthew.

"And you have my plane. And Heroism."

At that, Gilbert frowned a little and walked to go next to Alfred, exchanging a challenging look with him.

"And my awesomeness."

Matthew looked at them, already a bit relieved. They had instantly proposed to help, even if he didn't know them well. And they looked worried earlier... He didn't have much friends before, already happy he found Toris... he smiled at them.

"Well, I guess that answer your question." The king spoke, grabbing their attention again. Matthew smiled a little more and nodded.

"I have no problem with doing it now but... Hm, Where should we start?"

Because as much as Matthew wanted to help, he really never went on a heroic quest before. And it was a bit scary still so some hint were welcomed. The queen chuckled at that.

"If we knew where to look, I swear we would be there searching ourselves. Though I think you should go investigate where there's trouble..."

They all were thoughtful, when Alfred exclaimed, his mouth full of a half chewed bit of beef that was rather disgusting to look at, especially when it was spit over the previously white table cloth...

"I heard there was a witch not far from my place!"

Everyone looked at him, Roderich, Arthur and Matthew averting their eyes, showing their disgust at the sight with different levels of discretion. What he said was rather interesting. Then Matthew tried using his apparently new status as a leader.

"Then let's start there eh?"

With that, they all agreed on them leaving the next morning after spending the night in the castle, and accommodations were made so Gilbert and Alfred got nice beds their size.

In the meantime, in town, a blond man with his hair slicked back was searching desperately for his little albino brother, looking quite frantic, hoping he hadn't been crushed by the crowd movement.


	8. First days of travel

Author: Inunobaka

Title: The awesome tales of Mapleland

Disclaimer: I don't own hetalia

Note: Merry christmas to everyone. I'm moving to England in a few days so I probably won't upload much in a while, sorry. Also sorry I only posted a filler chapter ^^" Anyways, enjoy~

* * *

The sun was rising over Ottsen, its ray lazily brushing the castle first, since it was the culminate point of the town, warm stray of light snaking their way in between the rich curtains of the room, waking the lazy people up. The castle wasn't entirely sleeping though; two hours ago, the quiet rustling of the maid's dress had started filling the corridors of the lower parts of the castle, the light step of the manservant resonating on the pavement of the courtyard creating a murmur announcing the preparations for something were taking place. A ballet of shadows in the barely lit kitchen started to create heavenly smell, slowly reaching the rooms where the master of the place laid, hugging protectively his equally serenely smiling wife, a sight that nobody had seen in a terribly long time.

Which was why the young maiden in charge of waking them up stood there, smiling herself, not daring to call to them just yet. After a little while, the couple shifted, and she hurried to call them in a soft voice. In the mean time, as the royal couple was woken up, other almost as important people were slowly leaving the peace of their dreamland.

Arthur already was dressed, apparently used to waking up with the sun, sitting at a little pedestal table, a book on his lap, his forehead wrinkled with concentration, trying to learn a new spell, just in case they needed something more efficient, still not accepting he had been knocked out by /that/.

Talking about the bear, it had sneaked in Matthew's bed. And Matthew was hugging it, cuddling it, almost showering it with love in his sleep, a happy smile on his face as he buried his face in the snowy fur. Arthur shook his head at the sight, feeling some sort of affection for the lad and slightly worried that bear would hurt him. Since it was also sleeping now, it seemed fine, but he better watch out for him.

Alfred... Was lying in bed, his sheets hanging over his leg, mostly on the ground, and his stomach fully exposed -he actually was chubby, it wasn't just reminders of his childhood-, snoring blissfully.

Gilbert was hugging his pillow, drooling on it, cackling in his sleep from time to time, apparently having a good time if Arthur could judge on the "awesome" escaping his lips from time to time.

Overall, it was a quiet morning, and he only missed a good cup of tea to make it perfect, before some Berk came in and decided to wake them up. While a nice chat with Matthew seemed pleasant, having to deal with the two others wasn't appealing so early in the morning. He sighed, so was life, not only pleasant things happened... He stood up, going to wake the lad up himself.

Matthew stirred, but quickly managed to sit up, offering Arthur a smile. He had, overall, slept well, even though he was quite nervous about leaving for a big adventurous quest. Adventure wasn't really his thing. He'd often wonder later the question he asked himself the day before, at the time he slipped in bed; "why did I have to leave my room in the Inn in Ottsen?" But for now he still was a bit brave and accepted his fate. He looked at the warm ball of fur pressed against his side. He reached to pet it slowly, not able to resist how cute it was. He was entirely convinced he had to keep him as a pet when the bear lifted his head to stare at him lazily. Those eyelashes... so cute. He looked at Arthur.

"Can... Can we keep him? Please?"

Arthur wasn't expecting that.

"You really want him?"

He was skeptical. A bear as a pet... then again he knew his spell was efficient, and the bear could be useful on the road. He'd intimidate robbers and some kind of guard pet during the night would be a good idea. And Matthew's hopeful face as he gave him a nod was hard to resist.

"You can keep him lad."

Matthew smiled happily at him, before shyly reaching to give him a hug. For some reasons he thought he could rely on Arthur more. Maybe was it the fact he was the only person his size... And the one who gave the final blow in the last battle. He kind of looked like he'd be the big brother he never had so... He was glad to have him around for his travel. Arthur patted his back awkwardly, blushing a little, not used to that kind of display of affection. Once they were done with their hug, Matthew stood up, stretching, and looked around him. Alfred had finally kicked the blanket entirely, whimpering at the loss of warmth, while Gilbert had tried to bite off the hand of the young lady waking him up. Arthur shook his head as Matthew went to scoop the fairy up in his hands, since he didn't look like he wanted to wake up by himself, earning more whining at the fact it was too early and cold and not good.

The maid, exasperated by their behavior finally sighed and told them a bit sharply the breakfast would be cold if they didn't stop taking so much time, efficiently making both tiny people jolt up and get dressed. Arthur, as the gentleman he was, took her hand to examine the bite mark, which was nothing big, to pass the time.

Once everyone was dressed and finally really ready to leave, they found themselves in the big dinning room from before, once again enjoying the rich food at their disposal. The king himself looked a bit out of it, apparently not a morning person, while the queen cheerily went to help in the Kitchen. Which wasn't suitable to such a great lady but she apparently decided she didn't care.

"You'll be leaving in one hour. Everything will be ready, just go to the horse stall, someone will be there to help you." She smiled kindly at the effort her husband had made to actually be able not to slur when he talked, it always was hard for him to be eloquent at such an hour.

"You can go prepare a few things in town until then. And be careful on your way."

Which is what they did, Matthew earning himself a hug from the queen as he warned her he'd be on his way to find his ex-boss and his friend, telling him once again to be careful and back on time, which reminded him of his mother. And then he noticed the queen, despite looking young, was the mother of the princess. Who was around his age. He wondered how old she actually was, but didn't ask since it wasn't polite, settling for simply stumbling away flustered. It was his queen after all, he wasn't sure a lot of people around had been hugged by their queen... He walked all the way to the Inn, surprised he didn't find Toris here. When he sat down on his bed, he bounced a little, the spring lazily protesting against the extra weight. He looked around, wondering why he felt nostalgic when he had only spent a night in his room. He then gathered his few things, startled when the door opened on his boss.

* * *

"Matthew. Where were you? And where is Toris? Did you have to humiliate me by running away?"

He was being scolded... he didn't like it.

"I'm sorry. I was taken to the castle... And I thought Toris would be here, I didn't see him since yesterday. I'm really sorry."

His boss sighed, looking rather pissed.

"Where did you put that hockey stick? It belong to me now you found it, since I'm your boss."

Matthew was dumbfounded. Huh. He wasn't sure on how to explain to him he couldn't possibly give it to him. He didn't expect his boss to actually believe he'd be the hero to save the princess because his underlying found the stick, it was absurd.

"Excuse me... I think... It won't be possible."

He had to stand up for himself, he now was someone equally as important as his boss, and had to tell him he was quitting to go save a princess. That probably wouldn't go down well, especially if Toris was missing.

"Explain."

He looked really pissed now. He took a deep breath, mustering his courage, he could do it.

"Since I'm the one who found that hockey stick, the king asked me to go to the castle. He then deemed me the hero, which is why... I'm sorry, I enjoyed working for you, but I'll have to quit."

His boss glared, and reached to grab his arm. Matthew was rather scared, clinging onto his small belongings as he was dragged along town, trying to fight the grasp off. His boss just happened to be bigger and stronger than him, managing to get him successfully to the throne room. Matthew figured people let them in for he was now more or less known of the people in the castle, just wondering why nobody tried to help him. He stumbled as the man rather harshly pushed him in front of him to show him to the king, who was enjoying another cup of coffee and raised an eyebrow. Why were they interrupting his audience time?

"That brat here stole my righteous belonging."

Matthew looked at the other man, ready to protest. What? He never stole anything, he just found that stick! Well that was a nice way to thank him for his good work... Roderich spared a glance at the man before focusing on Matthew in a rather annoyed way.

"Is that true, Matthew?"

"No! He said that because he think I should have given him the holy hockey stick..."

A sigh escaped the thin lips of the king, who gave the man a bored look.

"He's the one who found that stick, he's the owner, you have no say in it."

"He's my worker!"

"Fine. We'll replace him with one of our own during the time he'll be away, and you won't have to pay them."

Matthew looked at his boss, hopeful. He looked like he was thinking. That was a good enough deal.

"Good. I'm sorry I bothered you, your majesty."

And with an awkward bow, he left.

Matthew let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before apologizing and walking to the horse stall, where they had decided to meet up once they were done, finding Arthur and Alfred here. Apparently arguing over tea and coffee. He sighed, hoping the last member of their crew would be here soon.

* * *

Said last member was currently riding a certain polar bear cub around town, cackling happily at his glory. He looked quite awesome with that bear as his horse if he said so himself. After a good half an hour, he finally reached the Inn his brother and him stayed at. The owner, noticing him, told him said brother was away and didn't come back last night.

"Wait, how? West isn't here?"

"I'm afraid not mister Beildschmidt."

"Oh. Well, I'm leaving, so if he ever come back tell him I'm on the road with Matthew, the hero."

The Inn owner gave him a weird glance, but he brushed it off as an "awestruck glance", leaving again after going to take all of Ludwig's wurst reserve as well as a few cans of beer. When he reached the meeting point just on time, it was to find a bored Matthew watching Arthur and Alfred argue some more. He glanced at the seemingly annoyed blond.

"Hey, let's go get you your horse."

"Agreed."

They went in,quickly followed by the two others, to be greeted by some young damsel... with a deep voice.

"It's, like, totally cool to finally meet you." With that he brushed a rather tiny skirt with his manicured hand -wait, did he actually paint his nails pink?- leaving the boys to discover what exactly that horse stall was like.

The walls were painted a light shade of pink, all the horse actually being... ponies. With braided hair. The other... guy? Girl? Transvestite? Trotted toward one of them, his long blond hair swaying, following the rhythm of his hips.

"I'm Feliks by the way."

Matthew looked at the others, who apparently didn't look like they'd want to talk.

"H-Hello, Feliks, nice to meet you... I'm Matthew..."

With that the other's green eyes scrutinized his face, before a grin appeared on his face. He waved his hand as he said

"you're, like, rather cute. You should totally try to put on some make up and better clothes. I'm sure you'll treat Epona well. I didn't name her by the way, it was some other woman who worked here before."

Well he sure talked a lot. Arthur was now checking on the pony, it looked well fed and healthy, it probably would be able to take them far. When he patted the auburn fur, the beast snorted, pushing him affectionately with her nose.

"... Or maybe not, I'll give Epona to that guy, he's cute too, though he should like, shave his brows. But they'd be a great pair. Beside you're like, totally prince charming if you go save the princess so you better have a white horse."

It was hard to argue against that. Though they were more likely going to get a white pony. Matthew never really rode a horse before so he didn't really know if he wanted that tall white pony... his eyes were caught by one that looked quieter and smaller, in a corner. It was busy chewing on a stray of hay. Feliks caught his glance and pouted.

"Aww, you want her? She's a good one but not as pretty. And she's a bit slow."

Matthew blushed but gave a firm nod, yes, he preferred something slow. Just like him.

"Can I... pet her?"

"Yeah! I wanted to call her Bieber but they said it was a ridiculous name, so I wanted to call her Celine, but then they said no human name for a horse."

Matthew stopped listening to the rambles of that person to slowly go pet the horse, wincing a little as he felt the warm breath of the pony on his hand. He finally was able to ruffle her hair, letting out a little chuckle as the horse seemingly leaned in, appreciating it. He liked that fat pony.

"So... what's her name in the end?"

Arthur was speaking up after coming closer, glad he got that other pony.

"Miss Pony."

They stared at the guy. That... was such a good name. Matthew didn't really mind actually, it suited him just well.

"I think...I prefer to take miss Pony..."

Feliks shrugged in a 'do as you wish' way, immediately getting to work. Once both the pony were ready, they went to say their good bye to the royal couple, both Arthur and Matthew getting a hug this time, under the apparently pissed eye of the then got some backpacks,new clothes, food and enough money to be able to live at ease for a good year and left.

* * *

The travel toward the east went rather well, they chatted a little, from time to time, Alfred having packed his plane away to sit in between Epona's ears for the travel, Arthur leading the way and Matthew trying his best to ride that horse correctly. Surprisingly, he got the hang out of it really quickly and managed to be graceful when leading the horse by the end of the day. Gilbert had kept on riding the bear, who actually was too slow for the two ponies and was now seated just in front of Matthew, Gilbert resting against the fur. Their first day on the road went rather well, no major incidents to be noticed. Though Arthur dreaded the night, the path imposed by the two ponies not being fast enough for them to reach a town big enough to actually have an Inn. They would have to camp, and while they had what was needed for that, he was pretty sure robbers and all kind of bandits were on the roads as well.

As the sun slowly reached the horizon, sinking in the ground and its light vanishing as if it was making fun of Arthur's fear, they decided to stop. They found themselves a corner a bit far from the road, a large and cold rock hiding them from the view of passerby and protecting them against the biting wind. Nights tended to be cold these days of the year, and they welcomed the little protection. While Alfred decided to start a fire, explaining he was a beast at it and he could do it well, Gilbert was sent to see if there was some water point near, accompanied by his new best friend, now named Kumajiro by Matthew. Who Already had managed to forget the name two time and give it slight variations. Arthur took a map and was now making sure of where they were, trying to define how much longer they'd have to travel to reach the closest big town. As for Matthew, since he apparently was used to cooking for other people, he was now in charge of their dinner, preparing to roast some bacon he had taken before, smiling lightly. He enjoyed cooking and it was for his new friends, which made him quite happy.

Everything was going well before they heard a piercing shriek coming from the forest, Arthur immediately running toward it as he ordered Alfred to stay with Matthew. They both nodded, Matthew taking the fairy on his shoulder, hugging himself in a worried fashion, keeping an eye on the bacon anyway. The voice sounded like it belonged to Gilbert, he really hoped he was fine, and didn't fall in a ditch or was attacked by some boar or other... trolls that could walk around the forest... Alfred looked quite excited at the idea he was doing a heroic job, now hugging Matthew's cheek protectively, his tiny arms wrapped as best as he could around him to comfort him. "I'll protect you, don't be scared!" which was appreciated by Matthew even though he was more concerned about his friends.

* * *

Arthur was walking fast, avoiding the trees and trying to be as silent as possible, the leaves under his feet cracking lightly every now and then. He was looking around for the tiny man and the bear, finally spotting a speck of dirty white in the wood, approaching it slowly and carefully, hiding behind a tree. The bear was busy licking his tummy in an attempt to groom himself as Gilbert could be spotted hugging something. He apparently was fine. The wizard came out of his spying spot, hovering over Gilbert.

"What is that?"

the little albino looked up at him, grinning happily, hugging the egg closer.

"that's just like when West found me!"

"West?"

"My brother! That thing probably is one like me!"

Arthur pondered a little. Did they want of another one like him? In the meantime Gilbert looked terribly happy with it, irradiating with childish glee. He sighed, picking up the albino, his bits of wood and the egg, ordering to the bear to follow and walked back to the camp, only half listening to the excited explanation on how exactly Gilbert was found, how he was glad he wasn't the only one of his kind on earth -to what he answered lilliputian weren't that rare, even if they weren't common- and other less decent things about finally getting laid and hopefully it'd be a girl with a nice rack because huge boobs were the best, even if the queen was a sexy bitch and he wanted to fit himself between hers but that sissy piano boy who also was their king wouldn't like it, to what Artur answered by a swat on the head, ignoring the threat and insults coming after.

He spotted Matthew, who almost ran to them looking worried, dropping the albino in his arms.

"Gilbert brought us our dinner, we can have an omelet."

He didn't mean it, it was just a payback for all the insults.

Matthew was so relieved he gave Gilbert a little hug, voicing his worry and smiling at him as he saw he was fine while the lilliputian blushed and struggled to scream at Arthur not to harm his egg. Said Arthur just put the egg down near the fire so it kept warm.

The rest of the evening went without much trouble, Alfred explaining to everyone how heroic he was while protecting Matthew who apparently had been trembling like a leaf and would have cried if he hadn't been here, a fact he didn't bother to correct since it seemed to make the fairy so happy, thanking him instead. Gilbert told them everything he knew on tending on an egg, ending up falling asleep curled up around it protectively. Arthur and Matthew ended up being the two last to stay awake, smiling lightly at the cute sight, sharing their thought on how much of a mother hen he looked like, laughing lightly at the joke. Finally Matthew himself went to sleep, leaving Arthur to be on guard duty that night, which ended up uneventful.

* * *

Eventually, the morning came, everyone waking up more or less grudgingly, finally ready for another day of travel. The sun decided to play hide and seek that day, its ray only reaching them a little to warm them up on their way. Their ponies settled in a regular despite quite slow rhythm, Arthur almost falling asleep as the movement of the equines lulled him to slumber. Alfred's constant chatter however kept him up, as well as a few cup of teas during their breaks. As for Matthew, he never traveled that far from home and enjoyed the scenery greatly. The peasants in the fields were cutting the wheat, the dark brown of the earth replacing golden as they worked in long lines, a show the young man found fascinating. From time to time they crossed the road of other travelers, asking them how was the tournament going in Ottsen, apparently really excited as the new spread they finally found a suitor to save the princess. They had been advised not to reveal their identity unless it was needed, just in case the kidnappers were more evil than they thought and had spies, which was why they stuck to the official version; they were still probably dealing with the king and would leave once the entire tournament was over.

Soon enough the light provided by the sun diminished, the clouds above them taking a quite beautiful tint of red and orange as they could spot a few lights in front of them in a dark mass, indicating they were close to their goal. They passed the door of the town a few minutes before they closed them, a few drops of rain starting to fall after menacing them for the entire afternoon. They led their ponies in the inn they chooses horse-stall, before checking in.

While they did so, they could detail the place. There were a few tables made out of basic wood, stools surrounding them. A few tired traveler were sitting close to a big chimney giving the room a more friendly ambiance, some of them enjoying some cheese fondue. Facing the door and separating the main eating room from the stairs and the entry way was a big checking desk, behind what was a young man whose piercing eyes were now fixed on the newcomers. A bow and a few arrows were hanged in an obvious place, putting the highlights on the fact bulgars or liars weren't welcomed. Arthur used the money the king gave him, apparently being really the one in charge of the room. The young man nodded to them, insisting on the fact he didn't want trouble, hence why the inn was named "the neutral place", before motioning to a maiden busy serving some people. Her big and innocent teal lighted up at the mention of her name and she hurried to them, giving them a little bow as her big brother told her to give them their dinner. He glared dagger at them as she smiled at them gracefully before leading them to a table, her dress shuffling as she did so. They ended up eating some fondue too, too tired to speak much, before finally going to bed after learning her name was lili, she was the tenant-who's name was Vash-'s sister and was glad to see new faces. She also explained her brother was really nice and would probably warm up to them someday.

Overall they managed to reach their first destination without much trouble. The real adventure would start tomorrow as they started looking for that witch, but for now they allowed themselves to drift of in the arms of Morpheus, sleeping away their worries of what was to come.

* * *

So as some ending notes, no, Epona doesn't come from the Zelda games, it was actually the name of some kind of celtic goddess who was associated with horses. And no the boss isn't any country he's just some guy I enjoyed writing ._." Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!


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